Press Release

For Immediate Release

Ludwig van – A Beethoven Festival

Over 100 events dedicated to Beethoven including:

Two Symphony Cycles

Chamber Music Festival

Strings Weekend

Keyboard Weekend

21st century Beethoven

As part of our 40th anniversary the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is presenting Ludwig van;a large-scale festival dedicated to the music of this great composer.

Featuring over 100 eventsbetween November and June, Ludwig van is one of the largest Beethoven festivals to take place in the UK, and includes two Beethoven symphony cycles, presented chronologically over nine Beethoven Days (22 November, 14 December, 1 February, 7, 22 and 23 March, 17 May, 21 and 28 June). Each day includes a performance of the symphony; a separate concert featuring transcriptions of the same symphony; talks by leading Beethoven experts from the UK, US and Europe; and other events that explore their links with art, literature, jazz and dance. This series also incorporates a recreation of the famous ‘Akademie’ concert of 20 December 1808, a four-hour marathon that saw the premières of both the Fifth and Sixth Symphoniesand the Fourth Piano Concerto. The RNCM presents this in collaboration with the University of Manchester on 22 and 23 March 2013.

Also forming part of Ludwig van is the RNCM Chamber Music Festival (11-13 January), which focusses on Beethoven’s complete string quartets, piano trios and other chamber music, with performances by artists and ensembles including the Talich Quartet, Gould Piano Trio and Endellion Quartet; the RNCM Strings Weekend (16-17 March), which presents the composer’s complete violin and cello sonatas alongside supporting masterclasses and lectures; and the RNCM Keyboard Weekend (22-23 June), which focusses on a complete cycle of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, headlined by Francois-Frederic Guy. The Keyboard Weekend will also include performances by RNCM alumni Martin Roscoe, Peter Donohoe, Ronan O’Hara and Graham Scott.

Finally, between 24-27 June, we present 21st Century Beethoven, an intricate look at how Beethoven has been reinvented by the composers of our time. Highlights over these few days include a programme at MediaCity by the BBC Philharmonic, a Beethoven comedy set, a screening of Kagel’sLudwig van film at Cornerhouse, and a live theatrical reinvention inspired by this film.

For more information or to request interviews, please contact Liz Rowley, PR and Media Relations Officer, on 0161 907 5369 or email

Ends

Notes to Editors:

  • The RNCM is a forward-thinking, internationally-acclaimed conservatoire located in the heart of Manchester. Our staff are renowned for their expertise and we have an excellent reputation for attracting some of the world’s most distinguished teachers, performers, conductors, composers and scholars. Over 700 students, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, currently study at the RNCM, more than 200 of which are international representing almost 50 different countries.
  • The College is also a thriving performance venue offering unparalleled opportunities for students to perform regularly to public audiences and work alongside professional musicians and visiting artists. Housing four major performance spaces, including a professionally-staffed, fully-equipped Theatre and Concert Hall, the RNCM presents in excess of 400 concerts each year ranging from RNCM orchestras and ensembles and large-scale opera productions, to a host of touring companies and external hires. In 2012, the RNCM was placed 7thin PRS for Music’s list of the UK’s top 100 performance venues.